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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26349556">Together or Not At All.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/skymageariel/pseuds/skymageariel'>skymageariel</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Dragon Prince</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 04:34:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,176</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26349556</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/skymageariel/pseuds/skymageariel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Callum talks in his sleep, causing Rayla to wake up in the middle of the night.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rayllum (The Dragon Prince)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>70</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Together or Not At All.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>dedicated to dan and kayla amos</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Callum?” Rayla’s eyes fluttered open at the sound of his voice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, stop-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Callum, what are you saying, it’s the middle of the night.” Rayla sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes as the boy on the floor next to her continued to mumble in his sleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Stop, don’t do it,” he said, louder. Rayla. slipped from under the covers, sitting on the floor next to Callum, when his breathing quickened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Memories flooded in, and Rayla began to panic.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Callum, wake up!” She pushed his shoulder, trying to shake him awake, but Callum’s eyes stayed shut.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, Rayla, don’t go!” he cried, scared. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wake up!” Rayla yelled, pulling his shoulders so he sat up, though his shoulders stayed slumped and his head lolled forward. His breath quickened, the color draining from his cheeks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Rayla…” he whispered, voice elevating to a shout. “No! Don’t jump-“ his eyes shot open- “RAYLA!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m here, I’m here!” Rayla said to him, placing a hand on his cheek. The fear in his face broke Rayla’s heart. His eyes softened and breathing calmed as he looked around him, eyes finally landing on Rayla beside him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did I wake you up?” he whispered, taking hold of her wrist as his eyes began watering.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but-“ Before she could finish, Callum threw his arms around her, drawing her close into the tightest embrace. He buried his nose in her shoulder, pressing her closer. He could feel her arms around him, and he never wanted to let go. But all good things had to come to an end.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Callum?” Rala whispered, taking him by the shoulders so he faced her. He looked away, struggling not to shake, though he wasn’t succeeding. “Are you okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sometimes I just talk in my sleep,” Callum offered, voice wavering. He gave a fake smile and a shrug. “It’s nothing to worry about, we can talk in the morning.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rayla pressed a hand to his forehead. “You have a fever.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s warm in here,” Callum replied, trembling. His mind wouldn’t stop replaying that nightmare-  a nightmare where he couldn’t get to her in time. Where she jumped and fell and slipped just beyond his reach.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re not telling me something,” Rayla said, squinting her eyes with a furrowed brow. It was the dead of night- night time in central Katolis was always freezing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Callum opened his mouth to speak, but choked on his words with teary eyes. He wiped his cheek with the palm of his hand, trying not to look at the girl in front of him. “I- I just can’t right now,” he managed, holding back sobs while biting his lip. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know I’m always here for you, right?” Rayla said, moving closer so that their shoulders were pressed together. Callum was still shaking, and her touch did not help. His chest heaved, as his breathing became labored. Rayla put an arm over his shoulder. “You know that, right?” she said, though he didn’t meet her eye. “Callum?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But what if you weren’t?” he finally barked, jolting away from Rayla, pulling her arm from over his shoulder. “What if I had lost you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What… What do you mean?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just kept seeing-“ Images flashed in his head, and he couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t catch her and she dipped below the clouds. “I can’t do this right now,” Callum said, standing. Rayla stood to meet him, stepping close. Callum moved away. “I need to breathe- I need to be alone for a minute.” He turned and rushed out of the room and out of sight, leaving Rayla alone and dumbfounded. She didn’t know if she should follow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>—-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Morning broke, and Callum had hardly realized. He was sitting on the couch in the common room, staring into the fireplace that had been burning hours before, but was now reduced to glowing ashes of the kindling that was no longer there. He hugged his knees close to his chest. Tears had been streaming down his face, which had since dried into sticky lines, a reminder of the mess he’d been the night before. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t stop thinking about the nightmare that had cost him the previous night’s sleep. Over and over, his head showed him Rayla jumping off the spire, dipping below the clouds. Callum jumped to catch her, praying the spell would work, for his wings to come. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And they never did. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And the last thing he saw of the one person he had left was her hand reaching through the sky for him, before sinking further through the air, never to be seen again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And it was all Callum’s fault.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sunlight glinted in his eyes through the window, snapping him out of the world he was stuck in. He glanced around, realizing morning had come, that he’d been sitting numb for hours. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Behind him, the door creaked open, and Rayla stepped in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Callum?” she whispered, causing him to flinch. He turned to see her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi,” he said as she came around the couch and sat next to him, handing him a cup of coffee and draping a blanket around his shoulders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” he muttered, taking the mug in his hands and holding it close, but not taking a sip. His eyes kept staring at the fireplace, envisioning Rayla’s hand sinking through the sky.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to talk?” she asked, moving closer. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Callum took a deep breath, hesitating. Silence filled the room, and an awkward space filled the time it took for Callum to gain the courage to say what he needed to. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m scared of heights,” he finally said. “I’m scared of falling, of hitting the ground too hard.” He put the coffee on the end table beside him, pulling his blanket tighter around him. “And when you jumped, I saw one of my biggest fears being realized in front of me. And I knew that if I didn’t jump after you… I would have lost you. Forever.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Callum-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So now I keep having these dreams- these nightmares, where I can’t catch you. Where the spell doesn’t work and I lose you.” He started shaking again, voice trembling. “I lose you, and it’s all my fault.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rayla wrapped her arms around him. “You’ll never lose me,” she said, leaning her head on his shoulder. “And I don’t know if this helps, if this makes the nightmares go away, but I’ll always be here for you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just keep wondering-“ Callum said, eyes blinking to hold back tears once more. “What would happen if I woke up one day, and you were gone? What would I do?” He took a shaky breath. “If I woke up last night, struggling to breathe, and you weren’t there, where would I go?” A silent tear slid down his cheek. “Rayla,I don’t know what I would do without you,” he whispered, facing her for the first time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You won’t have to know,” Rayla answered, “Because I won’t ever leave your side. We do everything together, or not at all. Remember?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he sniffed, leaning into her. “Together or not at all.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>for those of us who read the through the moon leaks, i thought this would hit especially hard</p></blockquote></div></div>
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